Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Amasis II

(Encyclopedia)Amasis II, d. 525 b.c., king of ancient Egypt (569–525 b.c.), of the XXVI dynasty. In a military revolt he dethroned Apries. He erected temples and other buildings at Memphis and Saïs and encourage...

Hystaspes

(Encyclopedia)Hystaspes hĭstăsˈpĭs [key], Old Persian Vishtaspa, fl. 6th cent. b.c., ruler of ancient Persia, father of Darius I. Under him Darius was governor of Parthia. The legendary patron of Zoroaster is a...

Andkhui

(Encyclopedia)Andkhui əndkhroiˈ [key], city , N Afghanistan, in Faryab province, near the Turkmenistan border. Wool is its chief product, and it has a noted trade in fruits and karaku...

Nippur

(Encyclopedia)Nippur nĭpo͝orˈ [key], ancient city of Babylonia, a N Sumerian settlement on the Euphrates. It was the seat of the important cult of the god Enlil, or Bel. Excavations at Nippur have yielded the re...

Leonidas

(Encyclopedia)Leonidas lēŏnˈĭdəs [key], d. 480 b.c., king of Sparta. He succeeded (c.491 b.c.) his half-brother, Cleomenes I. When the Persians invaded Greece under Xerxes (480 b.c.), Leonidas with 300 Spartan...

Ulugh-Beg

(Encyclopedia)Ulugh-Beg or Ulug-Beg both: o͞oˈlo͞og bĕg [key], 1394–1449, Timurid ruler and astronomer. The grandson of Timur (or Tamerlane), he succeeded to the Timurid domain in 1447. A patron of the arts a...

Ionia

(Encyclopedia)Ionia īōˈnēə [key], ancient region of Asia Minor. It occupied a narrow coastal strip on the E Mediterranean (in present-day W Turkey) as well as the neighboring Aegean Islands, which now mainly b...

Groote Eylandt

(Encyclopedia)Groote Eylandt gro͞ot īˈlənd [key] [Du.,=large island], 950 sq mi (2,461 sq km), Northern Territory, N Australia. It is the largest island in the Gulf of Carpentaria and part of the Arnhem Land Ab...

Gaspé Bay

(Encyclopedia)Gaspé Bay găsˈpā, gäspāˈ [key], deep inlet of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 22 mi (35 km) long and 6 mi (9.7 km) wide, E Que., Canada, at the east end of the Gaspé Peninsula. The village of Gaspé...

Natashkwan

(Encyclopedia)Natashkwan nătˌăshkwŏnˈ, nətăshˈkwən [key], river, 241 mi (388 km) long, rising in S Labrador, N.L., Canada, and flowing S across E Que. to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is noted for trout and...

Browse by Subject